David Newman is a university student and supporter of Butterfly Conservation. His latest project involved working with a landscape architect business and he wanted to find out their views on helping butterflies.
Planting for pollinators is something most people think about in relation to their own gardens, but commercial businesses can play a part too.
My current University project has involved me working with a Landscape Architect company in Essex called Liz Lakes Associates and I wanted to know their opinion on including more pollinating plants in their designs.
What I discovered gave me fresh hope that in this industry at least, people were taking responsibility for the role they can play in supporting local wildlife.
Director of Liz Lakes, Sean Vessey, told me that landscape architecture, whether on a grand public scale or the design of a back garden, isn't only about making an outdoor space look great – that a landscape is also the ecosystem it supports, something he feels is at the heart of all their work.
Liz Lakes Associates believe making open spaces friendly to butterflies and moths is central to landscape ecology and organisations like Butterfly Conservation - who offer guidance on the types of plants and flowers to use to help pollinators - can definitely help guide this process.
It's important to ensure that nectar-rich flowers are available spring, summer and autumn, so even at this time of year there is plenty to consider for your garden. The many varieties of Buddleia are the best choice of all, but blooms ranging from Lavender and Primrose to herbs like Marjoram and Thyme, and even vegetables like Runner Beans, can all attract butterflies.
Liz Lakes believe it's not enough, though, to scatter the flowers at random. Grouping and balancing them, as a landscape architect would do, can help ensure that a wide range of butterfly species are attracted.
I found it reassuring that Liz Lakes Associates were already aware of the importance of butterflies and moths and can only hope other landscape architects are just as informed. Bees often receive more attention, but moths also play a role in the pollination cycle that is under threat today and butterflies are important indicators of the health of the environment. Still, if just one landscape architect can help make a garden or public space butterfly-friendly, than it goes without saying that they have my support.
David Newman
Guest Blogger